File-cutting machine



W. VAN ANDEN.

vFile Cutter.

.Patented July 7, 1857.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VM. VAN ANDEN, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK.

FILE-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM VAN ANDEN, of the city of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinery for Cutting Files; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full description of the same.

The nature of my invention consists in the mode of constructing and operating the bed on which the file blank is cut, so as to have'a forward feed motion, and at the time of the blow of the hammer a slightly independent oblique or forward motion of the uppe1 half of the compound bed or united bed, as the case may be, caused by the percussion of the hammer on the chisel in upsetting the bur or teeth, and the diflerence of resisting surfaces of metal against the back edge of the chisel, in consequenceof its angle of cut, wedging it forward at the time of cutting the teeth; second, in the mode of constructing and operation of the chisel holder and stock, so as to cause the chisel, which is firmly held by a set-screw in the holder, to find its own adjustment upon the file blank at all times, under the stroke of the hammer, to make a uniform cut across the face of the blank; third, in the mode of construction and operation of the hammer, b means of cams, and regulator ratchet whee and spring on hammer axis, and detent pins, whereby the force of the hammer may be varied at pleasure to yawn ditto. Figs. 5, 6, and '7 are de- .JJ i

suit diflerent kinds of work, without change of mechanical parts, and also to increase the force of the blow of the hammer as the file increases in width from the point toward the tang; fourth, in the mode of construction and operation of the feed motion, by means of an lntermittent worm on the main driving shaft, operating a male and female screw or rack and pinion for elevating or operating a vertically inclined plane, whereby the bed is fed up under the chlsel and upon which the file blank is held by clampin jaws, in combination with a hook tang ho der during the operation of cutting. But to describe my invention more particularly, I will refer to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, the same letters of refer- .ence wherever they occur referring to like parts.

1 is a right hand side elevationof the machine- Fig. 2 is a front end ditto. Fig. 3 is aleft hand side ditto. Fig. 4 is a plan No. 17,760, dated July 7, 1857.

tached views of the upper and lower halves of the compound bed, and also of the table board, on which the compound bed is operated. Fig. 8 is a detached cut section of the chisel holder and stock. Fig. 9 is a detached view of the cam-ratchet wheel, spring and detent pins for controlling and operating the hammer. Fl 10, re resentation of angle of cut of chise the red lines showing true out of file tooth and black line what would be the out if the file was held on a solid bed.

Letter A is the frame of the machine. Across the top of the frame and forming a part of it is a table board B, having a groove cut in its upper face. This groove traverses the length of the table in a slightly ob? lique direction from the front and rlght side of the machine to the back and left side of it. The object of thisis to cause the lower half of the compound bed D, by means of a tongue a on its lower surface, to traverse the length of the feed table, in an oblique direction. On its up er face are two grooves b N, from the eft to the right side obliquely across it, into which fit ton ues c 0 on the lower face of the upper ha f E of the compound bed. The object of this is to cause it to work up or forward by an inde endent motion of the positive feed against t e edge of the chisel, in consequence of the percussion of the hammer upon the file blank F and the difference of resisting surfaces of the metal against the back edge of the chisel, in consequence of its angle of cut, wedging it forward at the time of cutting the teeth. This effect is illustrated in Fig. 10, in which the black outline shows the true cut and the red outline the acquired cut or upsetting of the bur or tooth, in consequence of the file blank and bed wedging forward at the time of the blow of the hammer, and as the chisel is held rigidly in the stock its point becomes a center of motion, while the upper part of it has a relative motion forward to the backward motion of the file blank, and thereby upsets the tooth to give the requisite angle to make a good file. As this result must be simultaneous with the blow of the hammer, like that of the peculiar motion of the hand in holding the chisel under the action of the hammer, it will be obvious as to its importance.

In all machines heretofore used for cutting files, the effort to imitate the hand operation has been through the independent adjustable motion of the chisel by a swivel-like motion. But the delicacy of touch of the hand operator with his knack of holding it firmly in the true center of percussion is not easily acquired by rigid and arbitrary metallic oints. My invention, therefore, aims to accomplish this result; but in contradistinction to all other ex )erimenters in this branch of mechanics, I old the chisel rigidly in the stock and employ the impinging force of the hammer upon the chisel, and the develo ment of the metal under its point; at t e time of cutting, to wedge or move the file blank and bed, upon which it is adjusted back, so as to cause the requisite upsetting of the tooth of the file uniformly and at all times alikethat is, as the iminging force of the hammer is upon the file blank, so w ll be the requisite amount of motion in the file blank and bed upon which it is secured, to upset the tooth at right angles, or nearly so, to the plane of the file.

It will be obvious that various modifications may be made in the bed upon which the file blank is to be cut, as suggested in my caveat filed as the basis of this application, so as to employ the percussion of the hammer and the wedging action of the point of the chisel to accomplish the same results I have described; and as I may desire to avail myself of such suggestions in building subsequent machines, I desire it to be understood that I do not disclaim my right to their use as a part of my invention. Letter f is the tang holder, having a oint f in it and hooks g on its upper back edge,

so as to hold the file blank down upon the bed. This tang holder fits into a mortise hole in the bed with just sufiicient room to allow of its working up and down as the point of the file is depressed while under the action of the chisel.

Letter 7L is a lever jaw attached to the bed for holding against the side of the file blank while being cut.

Letter H is a vertical guide post at the back end of the frame A. In the guideway of this post works a triangulanshaped gate I, having on its longest side or hypotenuse a tongue V. This takes into a groove (1 on the back end of the lower half of the bed D, so that as the gate is worked, by means of the female screw J, at the back edge of it (being forced into gear by a foot lever O at the side of the frame A) with the vertical male screw K, rotated by means of a saw or ratchet wheel L, secured upon its upper end, and a worm M on the end of the main driving shaft N, the compound bed is fed up under the action of the chisel, as required, and drawn back again by the screw J, being thrown out of gear again by dropping the foot lever 0.

Letters P are two pawls on the main driving shaft N. These pawls, as the shaft N rotates, operate a ratchet-wheel Q, running loosely on the hammer shaft or axis R. At the side of the wheel Q is a stiffener spring S, having one end secured to the axis R and at its opposite side a detent pin 8 which, by its adjustment, acts a ainst a pin S in the axis R to hold the ratchet-wheel when it reacts; after the file has been cut, so as to preserve a uniformity of starting point in tie force of the hammer in cutting the file, while the increasing force of the hammer is regulated by the pawls winding up the spiral spring on the ratchet-wheel one tooth at each succeeding blow of the hammer till the pawls come to the blanking plate S on the ratchet wheel, at which point the pawls cease to act, and the force of the blow of the hammer is kept at its maximum point till the file has been cut, when the pawls are thrown out of gear by an intercepting bar T and lever t arranged at the side of the frame, holding the hammer shaft, passing in under them, and also of the toe t of the hammer i so as to allow the main shaft N to continue its motion while the new file blank is being adjusted.

Letter V, in the chisel stock, secured on an axis of, arranged on a part of the frame of the machine. In the front end of it is a square mortise, into which is inserted a block V, having a slight vibratory motion, but no up and down motion. This block also has a round socket hole 12 in its front end, in which fits the stem of the chisel holder W, with su'lficient looseness to have a slight motion on its axis. These two parts are held in the stock V, by a pin o passing vertically through their back ends. The object of this arrangement is to allow the chisel X, in the end of the holder W, to have a slight vibratory motion, as will as a rocking motion, to find its level on the face of the file blank, inde endent of any absolute motion in the chise on its own axis, so that each blow of the hammer will be through the center of percussion to give the desired effect and action to the point of the chisel in upsetting the teeth of the file.

Letter y is a lever arranged on the hammer axis frame, operated by a cam 2, on the main driving shaft, for the purpose of depressing the chisel just-in advance of the blow of the hammer upon the blank, so that it may hold the blank down, and at the same time be at rest, when the hammer strikes the head of the chisel.

It will be perceived that this machine makes but one series of cuts, and may therefore be called a right-handed machine. To make the opposite transverse cuts, the machine will be made as a left-handed machine, requiring therefore two machines to complete the operation of cutting the file. This however is not absolutely necessary, but prefer it rather than make the one machine changeable to accomplish this result, and besides as many machines will be used in cutting files, do not deem it any additional ex ense to have some made right metal at the back edge of the chisel, wedging it forward at the time of cutting the teeth of the file to cause their upsetting substantially in principle of operation as hereinbefore described.

2. I also claim the combination and.

arrangement of the bed on which the file blank is cut operating in the manner substantially as set forth, with the triangular feed gate, and side rails of the machine frame or substantially their equivalents for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. I also claim the combination and arrangement of the ratchet wheel, spring and detent pins, or their equivalents, in combination with the pawls for o erating the same for the purposes substantia y as hereinbefore set forth.

4. I also claim the use of the comp und self-adjusting chisel holder stock, in combination with the chisel whereby it is held rigidly in its place under the blow of the hammer in manner and for the purposes substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

5. I also claim the use of the triangular gate, as a feed motion to my compound bed, in combination with the a paratus for operating the same substantia ly as hereinbefore set forth.

WM. VAN ANDEN.

Witnesses:

CHARLES L. BARRITT, C. KESSLER SMITH. 

